The Politcs of Hate

The politics of hate are alive and well. Governor Palin has learned this lesson very well in the past 10 months. David Letterman can’t seem to let the topic of Governor Palin go. To say he doesn’t like her would be a gross understatement. This is a free country and he can like or dislike whomever he chooses. But to pick on her underage children goes beyond the pale.

The Palin’s were in New York to raise awareness and money for autism. Willow Palin, 14, attended a Yankee game with her Mom while visiting New York. Willow Palin has been kept out of the public eye. The Palin’s youngest daughter did not seem to mind the camera or the attention all that much, but the same cannot be said about Willow. The simple task of going to baseball game with her mom got her attacked on national television. The attack on her was completely uncalled for and not even remotely funny. She is 14 years old, and talking about her sexuality is grossly irresponsible. His apology really was not enough, especially since he said he thinks he is sorry. You are not sure that joking about a 14 year old is funny? He then furthers the discussion by saying he meant her 18 year old daughter who had a child out of wedlock late last year. So that makes it ok? If I remember correctly his son was born out of wedlock. Before you start, Bristol Palin never ran for any office, her views on abortion nor anything else for that matter are public record. She has ventured out and talked about pre-martial sex since the birth of her child. I think she is the perfect person to tell others about becoming pregnant as a teenager. She knows full well what goes into raising a child without a husband, and no viable means of supporting the child yourself.

Then we can move onto the recent article of hate-fucking (not my wording). Of course this was only geared towards conservative women, such as Michelle Malkin, Elizabeth Hasselbeck, and Dana Perino. Make no mistake, this was about violence and rape. When did this become acceptable? Playboy Magazine touts itself as being all about the empowerment of women. What empowered woman would want that particular thing done to them? Disagreeing with political views is one thing, rationalizing violence against them is totally another.

Where are the women advocacy groups? Why is The National Organization of Women not outraged? Oh, that’s right, these are conservative women. How can I take anything other than this abhorrent behavior is acceptable if you don't happen to be a liberal woman. If any of these things were said about Clinton’s or Pelosi's daughter the outrage would be loud and clear. Let’s just call them what they are: The National Organization for Liberal Women. They certainly don’t represent me or my values.

During the primary cycle last year I was reading a great deal about the sexism coming from organizations like NOW. At the time, I had told a liberal friend of mine that these protests would not be made if the female candidate happened to be a conservative republican. She completely disagreed with me, and gave me the talking points one would expect from an “empowered” woman. She continued by telling me that they would stick up for any women who was being mistreated solely based on her sex. Well, we can all see that I was correct. Do I now get to say “I told you so”?